Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 cup warm filtered water
- 1 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar, kefir, yogurt, or other live-culture addition
- 2 tablespoons fat of your choice
- 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped
- 4 carrots, peeled and diced or thinly sliced
- 2 celery sticks, thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced by hand or in a garlic press
- 1/2 to 1 cup white wine (1/2 cup for a mild wine flavor)
- 6 cups chicken stock or water or a combination, if using chicken legs
- 1 teaspoon dried (not ground) thyme 2 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken legs, or 2 cups leftover chicken meat
- Fresh, chopped parsley, basil, or herb of your choice
Directions
- In a small, nonreactive bowl, combine the quinoa, warm water, and live-culture addition. Cover the bowl and leave it in a warm place for 12 to 24 hours. After the time has passed, rinse the quinoa well through a fine sieve.
- In a large pot, heat the fat of your choice over medium to medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and sprinkle them with salt. Sauté the vegetables for 5 to 7 minutes or until they start to soften.
- Add the wine, stock/water, thyme, bay leaves, chicken legs (if using), and rinsed quinoa. Bring the soup to a boil, turn the heat to low, and cover. If using chicken legs, cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour. If using precooked meat, cook for 20 minutes, and then add the precooked chicken and cook until heated through.
- Garnish with the herb of your choice; salt and pepper to taste.
More Recipes from Ladled
• Roasted Vegetable Broth Recipe• Chinese Egg Drop Soup Recipe• Vietnamese Hot and Sour Soup Recipe
This excerpt has been reprinted with permission from Ladled: Nourishing Soups for All Seasons by Kimberly Harris and published by Victory Belt Publishing Inc., 2012. Purchase this book from our store: Ladled.
Rekindle a love for making soups and stews at home with Ladled (Victory Belt, 2012) by Kimberly Harris. Find more than 100 recipes for nutritious, healing soups with simple instructions for every step of the soup-making process. The following recipe from “Soups Centered on Legumes and Grains” is for a hearty Quinoa and Chicken Soup.
You can purchase this book from the Mother Earth Living store: Ladled.
This recipe has been a long-time favorite of my family’s plus a popular recipe on my blog. It’s simple, yet has lots of flavor. The white wine is optional but is a tasty addition. You can make it with premade broth and leftover chicken, or you can make a broth during a longer cooking time by adding chicken legs into the soup. You can also throw everything into a slow cooker for several hours on high.
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